Time is precious, waste it wisely!

One of the things I've noticed recently is how my life is kind of split-personality anymore... Bi-polar living perhaps??   I seem to walk a familiar path to "pre-divorce life" when I have my kids.  There is a set routine that comes with the day-in-day-out of parenting.  Suppers, homework, shuttling to and from events, hanging out and just being together....  It feels good and right and has gotten back to a feeling of "normal".  I think the biggest change in this side of my life is that I've learned to really appreciate the simple parts of this time together, much more than I'd ever recognized before.  Now I do my best to take time each day with my kids to be fully present for and with them.  Savoring the smell of Bella's fresh washed hair when I give her a goodnight hug? Priceless.  Taking a minute away from the supper on the stove to steal the soccer ball away from Isaac?  Worth the risk of a burnt meal. :o)

Then come the non-kid periods.  And all bets are OFF.  The traditional rules of time seem to go right out the window.  Case in point?  I was up at 4am Monday morning working on my Christmas cards.  Why?  Because i COULD. :o)  No one else is in the house that I would be waking up if I ground up some coffee beans at a crazy ass time of day....  No one to be bothered by blaring Christmas tunes and the Chrissy-sing-along while I cranked out the Christmas card assembly line.  It felt decadent and naughty and quite honestly, fucking awesome! :o)  I've gotten much better at just listening to my body in this regard.  I have a pretty regular internal clock but it tends to swing to the side of "early riser" and I have learned that this is THE BEST TIME for me to really get stuff done.  The first step in time domination is recognizing which way you fall.  The second step?  Don't fight it, harness it!  When I have something at work that requires my full brain power?  You can bet I'm working on it at 6am.

The other big perk of non-kid time is I feel less guilty taking the time to feed MY SOUL.  I have so little time with my kids that I usually keep my time away from them to the bare minimum.  Pretty much the only thing that falls into the category of MUST DO on kid days is exercising.  And where possible, I multi-task this essential by squeezing in while kids are at their own events.  On the non kid stretches, I work to keep at least 1 night free to just... do whatever I need to do.  Sometimes that's catch up on work.  But that always seems to be a need?? :o)  As much as I want to succeed at work, I am also a firm believer in "I work to live, not live to work."  And knowing I refuse to let work dictate my life, I often will find another way to waste my time wisely. Tonight?  I had an unplanned visit to coffee shop with a girlfriend and then came home and painted for 3 hours.   Did I get anything on my to-do list done?  NOPE.  Did the world end because of that?  NOT THAT I'M AWARE....?  :o)  Do I feel happy and replenished and ready to take on tomorrow because I wasted my time this way?  YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I do!  

Here's hoping that you find something today that fills you too!